Horizon Zero Dawn: The Story of Sylens

gamerant.com:

Sylens acts as one of Aloy’s main allies in Horizon Zero Dawn. Though the two don’t necessarily get along, they need each other to stop HADES’ plan of destroying all life on Earth. Even as the game’s main story comes to a close, not much is revealed about the mysterious man.

However, a few data points and dialogue lines, particularly in the Horizon Zero Dawn Frozen Wilds DLC, contain snippets of Sylens’ past. These unravel more about his goals and motivations, while they also show how far he’s willing to go to achieve what he wants.

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Story Behind Aloy's Vantage Points

Not much is known about Sylens’ early life. However, it’s clear that he became interested in the Old Ones and the ancient world, devoting his life to learning what he could about its devastation. As a young man, his quest for knowledge brought him to Ban-Ur, territory of the Banuk tribe (and the primary setting for the Frozen Wilds DLC). He introduced himself as a shaman hailing from Owl’s Watch in the north, a Banuk group that rarely visited Ban-Ur. To confirm Sylens’ claims, the shamans sent runners to the distant Owl’s Watch, where their tribesfolk affirmed the young shaman’s status. Following this, the Banuk became more willing to trade knowledge.

Ourea, a shaman Aloy meets in the DLC, describes Sylens as an impressive man with knowledge of the machines that was beyond compare. As such, he quickly gained the trust of the Conclave — a group internal to the Banuk tribe consisting of their most prominent shamans. Though Ourea never trusted him, she was still eager to learn what he knew.

Having secured the Conclave’s trust, Sylens was permitted access to the Malmstrom; the Conclave’s most sacred meeting place wherein the shamans met every